ABSTRACT
In the course of the long and arduous process of EU accession, which began with the Zagreb Summit in 2000, Croatian political parties have undergone major transformations. 1 These changes included alterations of their values, program points, and modes of political communication. While EU membership has been a nominal priority for all major Croatian political parties since the first multiparty election in 1990, until the beginning of the negotiations process in 2005 the parties did not place much emphasis on European affairs. The aim of this chapter is to examine the Europeanization of the Croatian party system. First, the concept of Europeanization of political parties and party systems and the differences between party system Europeanization in Western and Eastern Europe is discussed. Then, an analysis of the early moments of the Europeanization of Croatian parties during the 1990s is given. Further, the profound transformation of the Croatian party system after the beginning of the process of European integration in 2000 and especially since the start of the accession negotiations in 2005 is examined. Finally, the development of the party system after accession in 2013 and the European Parliament by-election, which elected first Croatian Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), is examined.
